The Detroit News (Chris McCosky) reports on the Pistons: Kwame Brown is the new starting center, and he played two solid games, first against his former team, the Lakers (10 points, 10 rebounds), then in a loss to the Suns (10 points, three rebounds, tough defense). “Kwame’s done a really good job defensively,” Curry said. “I think he’s gotten better each game. The numbers maybe didn’t show it, but I thought he was better (against the Suns) than he was in the Lakers game.” Brown’s presence helps the starting unit a couple ways: He’s a true center, which allows Rasheed Wallace to play his natural power forward spot; and he also has a legitimate NBA big-man’s body, which the starting lineup sorely lacked previously.
Month: November 2008
Nov 17: Spurs 86, Clippers 83
The AP reports: Roger Mason’s 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds remaining lifted the San Antonio Spurs to an 86-83 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night for their third straight victory. Mason, who led the Spurs with 21 points, got away from Ricky Davis near the top of the key and had no trouble nailing his third 3-pointer of the game after the Clippers had rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 6 1/2 minutes.
InsideHoops.com Notes: For the Spurs, Tim Duncan had 20 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 blocks. Mason shot 9-of-16 for his 21 points, and no assists. Mike Finley scored 19. George Hill shot 0-of-5 but dished 8 assists. For the Clippers, Cuttino Mobley had 18 points on 18 shots. Chris Kaman shot 8-of-13 for 17 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Baron Davis shot just 5-of-17 for 11 points and 8 assists. Tim Thomas unleashed a 1-of-7 brickfest off the bench.
Nov 17: Jazz 109, Suns 97
The AP reports: Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko added 19 points and two big blocks in the fourth quarter, and the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns 109-97 Monday night. C.J. Miles scored a season-high 21 points and Brevin Knight had six assists and 12 points, going 6-for-7 from the floor as the Jazz got the Suns in foul trouble and pulled away in the second half. Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal both drew their fourth fouls early in the third quarter, then the Suns couldn’t shoot early in the fourth as Utah scored 13 straight during one stretch. Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 30 points and eight rebounds. Nash had 14 points and eight assists, but O’Neal finished with just nine points and one rebound.
Nov 17: Rockets 100, Thunder 89
The AP reports: Tracy McGrady feels like he’s back to square one with a troublesome left knee that gave out on him again. At least his Houston Rockets seem able to pick up the slack if he’s going to be sidelined. Luis Scola scored 23 points, Yao Ming added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Houston made a second-half surge without its injured seven-time All-Star to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-89 on Monday night. Offseason pickup Ron Artest also had an injury scare, but the Rockets still had enough firepower to hand the tumbling Thunder their eighth straight loss… People sprain their ankles all the time,” said Artest, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. “It’s not broke.” … Durant had 29 points to lead the Thunder, Jeff Green scored 16 and Westbrook added 14 points.
NBA suspends Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics has been suspended one game without pay for striking Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut in the face. In addition, Bogut’s Foul that was committed on Garnett has been upgraded to a Flagrant Foul Penalty One, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
The incident occurred with 3:58 remaining in the fourth period of the Celtics 102-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, November 15, at the Bradley Center.
Garnett will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Celtics host the New York Knicks at TD Banknorth Garden.
Here is a video of the incident. Click ‘high quality’ once you’re on the video page.
Pete Newell dies
The AP reports: Pete Newell, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who won an NCAA championship and Olympic gold medal and later tutored some of the game’s greatest big men, died Monday. He was 93. His death was confirmed by the University of California, the school Newell coached to a national title in 1959. Newell, who had been living near San Diego, had a serious lung operation in 2005. Newell coached for 14 years at San Francisco, Michigan State and California before doctors advised him to give it up because of the emotional toll. His final coaching job came in the 1960 Olympics, when he took a U.S. team led by Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas to a gold medal in Rome. Newell later returned to prominence with his famous “big men” camps. He instructed some of the game’s greatest stars, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Shaquille O’Neal and Ralph Sampson.
The following statement was issued today by Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss regarding the death of former Lakers General Manager Pete Newell: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Newell earlier today,” said Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss. “Pete was one of the most brilliant teachers and coaches the game has ever known, and was also an exceptional front office man as the Lakers General Manager from 1972-76. He was a great help to me when I first purchased the Lakers and he was very generous with his time and counsel. In addition to his great contributions to the basketball world, Pete was also one of the finest gentlemen we’ve known. Our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the Newell family.”
The following statement was issued today by Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson: “This is obviously a very sad day for the game of basketball, whether you are associated with the NBA, college or high school ranks. I’ve known Pete for over 50 years and have a tremendous amount of respect for the man and his many accomplishments. Pete was a great coach and a great man who had the ability to relate to players and people on every level. A countless number of coaches and players benefitted from Pete’s tutelage over the years – including those who attended his specialized camps each summer – and will be indebted to him for the expertise and wisdom that he provided. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Warriors sign Stephen Jackson to contract extension
The Golden State Warriors have signed guard/forward Stephen Jackson to a contract extension, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced. InsideHoops.com will post contract details in the next few hours, so reload this page later today.
“We’re excited to have Stephen under contract for the next several years,” said Warriors President Robert Rowell. “He has been nothing short of terrific – both on the floor and in the community – since we acquired him almost two years ago. He has embraced this opportunity with the Warriors and has become a leader of a very young basketball team. Furthermore, he expressed a desire to be here long-term and we wanted him to be a part of our team as we move forward. We view this as a win-win for everyone.”
Jackson, 30, is averaging 22.1 points (12th in NBA), 6.4 assists (11th in NBA), 3.9 rebounds and 43.4 minutes (1st in NBA) per contest in 10 games thus far this season. His performance this season is building upon his finest NBA campaign in 2007-08, in which he appeared in 73 games and established new career-highs in points (20.1 ppg), assists (4.1 apg), three-point field goals (182), three-point percentage (.363), free throw percentage (.832) and minutes per game (39.1 mpg) to go along with 4.4 rebounds and 1.26 steals per contest. He scored 20-or-more points 42 times and helped lead the Warriors to a 46-27 (.630) record in the 73 games in which he appeared.
“I’m extremely happy,” said Jackson. “The Bay Area has become my second home since I arrived here in 2007 and I can’t accurately describe how good it feels to be wanted and appreciated by an organization. The Warriors – from Chris Cohan, Robert Rowell, Chris Mullin and Coach Nelson to the last person working in the front office – have embraced me since Day One. This organization has put me in a position to succeed and, for that, I will be forever grateful. I am really looking forward to the next several years, helping this young team win and providing my veteran leadership.”
Since being acquired by Golden State from Indiana on January, 17, 2007, Jackson has appeared in 121 regular-season games with the Warriors, averaging 19.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.29 steals in 37.9 minutes per game. Over that stretch, the Warriors have posted a 73-48 (.603) record in the 121 games in which he has appeared. Immediately following Jackson’s arrival in 2006-07, the Warriors posted a 23-15 (.604) record in the 38 games in which he played that season, including a 16-5 mark over the final 21 games of the season — which matched the best 21-game finish to a season in NBA history by a team that eventually ended up as the #8 playoff seed.
Currently in his ninth NBA season, Jackson owns career averages of 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.32 steals and 31.9 minutes in 550 regular-season games over eight seasons with New Jersey, San Antonio, Atlanta, Indiana and Golden State.
A native of Port Arthur, Texas, Jackson was named the 2007-08 recipient of the Angela & Christopher Cohan Community Service Award, given annually to the Warriors player who best exemplifies the spirit of community service through their outstanding commitment of time, service and financial support to the children and families of the Bay Area. Additionally, he received the NBA Community Assist Award for the month of March, 2008. This past summer, Jackson launched the “Jack 1 Foundation,” a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide community initiatives focusing on youth development and empowerment regardless of economic status. As part of the foundation launch this past summer, he held a grand re-opening ceremony of the Stephen Jackson Academy of Art, Science and Technology in Port Arthur.
Players of Week: LeBron, Billups
Denver Nuggets G Chauncey Billups was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 16, the NBA announced today.
For the week, he averaged 21.5 ppg, 5.8 apg, 2.3 rpg and 1.25 spg in four games last week as the Nuggets went 3-1, leading Denver to wins at Charlotte, at Boston and vs. Minnesota.
Billups has led Denver to an overall record of 5-1 since being acquired from Detroit on Nov. 3. He has posted averages of 19.5 ppg, 6.0 apg, 3.2 rpg and 1.83 spg in his six contests with the Nuggets.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was named today as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second straight week for games played Monday, November 10th through Sunday, November 16th.
In three games during the week, James averaged an NBA-high 33.7 points on .600 shooting, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds in 41.0 minutes per game. James has now won the award 15 times in his career: for the second time this season, three times during 2007-08, twice in 2006-07, five times in 2005-06 and on three occasions during the 2004-05 campaign.
Bulls waive Demetris Nichols
The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived forward Demetris Nichols.
Nichols (6-8, 216), appeared in two games this season with Chicago and averaged 1.0 ppg in 2.5 mpg. Nichols was claimed on waivers by the Bulls on Dec. 7, 2007 and was re-signed by Chicago on July 24, 2008. He was originally selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (53rd selection) of NBA Draft 2007.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.
Mark Cuban charged with insider trading
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Dallas entrepreneur Mark Cuban with insider trading for selling 600,000 shares of the stock of an Internet search engine company on the basis of material, non-public information concerning an impending stock offering.
The Commission’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that in June 2004, Mamma.com Inc. invited Cuban to participate in the stock offering after he agreed to keep the information confidential. The complaint further alleges that Cuban knew that the offering would be conducted at a discount to the prevailing market price and that it would be dilutive to existing shareholders.
Within hours of receiving this information, according to the complaint, Cuban called his broker and instructed him to sell Cuban’s entire position in the company. When the offering was publicly announced, Mamma.com’s stock price opened at $11.89, down $1.215 or 9.3 percent from the prior day’s closing price of $13.105. According to the complaint, Cuban avoided losses in excess of $750,000 by selling his stock prior to the public announcement of the offering.
“Insider trading cases are a high priority for the Commission. This case demonstrates yet again that the Commission will aggressively pursue illegal insider trading whenever it occurs,” said Linda Chatman Thomsen, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.
Scott W. Friestad, Deputy Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said, “As we allege in the complaint, Mamma.com entrusted Mr. Cuban with nonpublic information after he promised to keep the information confidential. Less than four hours later, Mr. Cuban betrayed that trust by placing an order to sell all of his shares. It is fundamentally unfair for someone to use access to nonpublic information to improperly gain an edge on the market.”
The complaint alleges that Cuban violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The Commission’s complaint seeks to permanently enjoin Cuban from future violations of the federal securities laws, disgorgement (with prejudgment interest), and a financial penalty.